Pictured above (L-R): Kabir Dewan, Breakthrough T1D CEO Aaron Kowalski, Ph.D., and Kabir’s father Kamal Dewan at the Breakthrough T1D 2019 Children’s Congress
Kabir Dewan is a second-year Morehead-Cain Scholar studying biomedical engineering, neuroscience, and chemistry on the pre-med track at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
His journey with Breakthrough T1D began when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at age 13, after suffering a stroke due to high blood sugar. The initial shock was soon replaced by a surprising feeling of relief. “I realized that the diagnosis was a blessing in disguise because I finally figured out what was wrong with me and could live a healthier, more fulfilling life,” he said.
Breakthrough T1D reached out to his family with a Bag of Hope and “warm words from volunteers who offered support and advice,” Kabir remembered. The sense of community he felt with Breakthrough T1D led to avid volunteering, including roles as the North Carolina Director of Teen Outreach, and Vice President and President of the North Carolina Youth Advocacy Team.
An Empowering Experience
In 2019, Kabir was selected as a Breakthrough T1D Children’s Congress (CC) Delegate. In addition to meeting his U.S. Senators and Representative from North Carolina, as well as fellow Delegates and celebrities with T1D, Kabir delivered an impactful speech thanking the CC corporate sponsors.
“The receptiveness of legislators and aides on Capitol Hill was very inspiring,” he said. “They reassured me that they were willing to make legislative changes to fund research and get us closer to a cure.”
Elena Purdy, Senior Manager of Breakthrough T1D Grassroots Advocacy, said the empowerment Kabir felt is shared by many. “The Delegates leave the event knowing they can do anything they set their minds to,” she said. “It’s just amazing to witness year after year.”
Breakthrough T1D reached out to his family with a care kit and “warm words from volunteers who offered support and advice,” Kabir remembered. The sense of community he felt with Breakthrough T1D led to avid volunteering, including roles as the North Carolina Director of Teen Outreach, and Vice President and President of the North Carolina Youth Advocacy Team.
Giving a Face to T1D
Since 1999, the Breakthrough T1D Children’s Congress has invited youth with T1D to Washington, D.C., to meet with Members of Congress and other policy makers to educate them about what it’s like to live with T1D, and to explain why Federal support for research and affordable access to a range of T1D management tools are so critical.
“Children’s Congress gives a face to T1D,” said Purdy. “It helps our national decision makers better understand the financial, medical, and emotional costs of the disease, and what they can do to help.”
Breakthrough T1D 2023 Children’s Congress Delegates will focus on several advocacy initiatives:
- Creating significant support within Congress for a renewal of the Special Diabetes Program (SDP), which currently provides $150 million/year for T1D research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- Engaging the FDA to ensure regulatory policies provide optimized pathways for approval of T1D therapies and devices.
- Ensuring T1D screening and monitoring is more widely accepted in the U.S. healthcare system.
- Accelerating progress towards more affordable insulin.
Kabir encourages anyone thinking about applying for Breakthrough T1D 2023 Children’s Congress to go for it. “It will be one of the most fulfilling and meaningful experiences you have,” he said.
Bridging T1D and Cultural Divides
The more Kabir got involved with Breakthrough T1D, the more he wanted to educate others about T1D. While at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, he wrote a memoir, L1V1NG: A teenager’s inspiring journey with type 1 diabetes. It was a way for him to share the lessons he learned.
“The book details my diagnosis and, more importantly, my recovery from it to inspire other people with T1D to not give up hope in the face of adversity, and to help them find their ‘new normal’,” he said.
Kabir was also a featured panelist for a Breakthrough T1D Facebook Live event, where he discussed living with T1D as a young adult member of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. By sharing his story, he hopes to bridge cultural divides within the management of T1D.
“From figuring out carb counts for traditional Indian foods through trial and error to adapting insulin doses around the aspects of my cultural identity that impact my lifestyle, I want to assure other AAPI-identifying people with T1D that there are others out there with similar backgrounds dealing with the same issues,” he said.
A Bright Future
Kabir’s advocacy work didn’t end with Breakthrough T1D 2019 Children’s Congress. This year, he joined Breakthrough T1D’s new Advocates in Action Council for young adults as a member of the leadership team.
As he thinks about his future, Kabir knows Breakthrough T1D will be part of it.
“I see myself wrapping up my medical residency and beginning my career as a doctor in a hospital setting while also, as a result of the Breakthrough T1D 2019 Children’s Congress, remaining a lifelong advocate for people living with T1D.”
Breakthrough T1D 2023 Children’s Congress® applications are open now through November 30 at cc.breakthrought1d.org.
Pictured above: Berkeley Barnett and her dad, Joel Barnett, at the Breakthrough T1D 2015 Children’s Congress
Berkeley Barnett grew up in Austin, Texas, wanting to be a doctor.
She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in 2004 when she was 5 years old, and the medical field always seemed like a natural fit.
“I think the reasons [for my career path] were a combination of all the time I spent in the doctor’s office as a kid and the idea of wanting to help people,” she said.
Berkeley’s family got involved with Breakthrough T1D shortly after her diagnosis—the organization played a huge role in her life. “I always viewed them as a second family,” she said. “I felt very empowered by Breakthrough T1D to not let my T1D define me.”
Berkeley’s dad, Joel, serves as a Breakthrough T1D Advocacy Team Chair (ATC) for the Southern Texas Chapter. As an ATC, he helps engage and grow advocates at the chapter level, build relationships with Members of Congress, and take action via virtual campaigns and social media. He encouraged Berkeley to use her voice on a larger scale and to apply to participate in Breakthrough T1D Children’s Congress (CC).
“We had done a Promise to Remember Me meeting with Texas Congressman Roger Williams—Berkeley loved it, and she was composed and well spoken,” he said. “He listened to her and asked questions and, when the time came, supported Breakthrough T1D initiatives. That was powerful, and the ability to go to Washington to see it in action was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Giving a Face to T1D
Since 1999, the Breakthrough T1D Children’s Congress has invited youth with T1D to Washington, D.C., to meet with Members of Congress and other policy makers to educate them about what it’s like to live with T1D, and to explain why Federal support for research and affordable access to a range of T1D management tools are so critical.
“Children’s Congress gives a face to T1D,” said Elena Purdy, Senior Manager of Breakthrough T1D Grassroots Advocacy. “It helps our national decision makers better understand the financial, medical, and emotional costs of the disease, and what they can do to help.”
Berkeley was a Breakthrough T1D 2015 Children’s Congress Delegate, meeting with her U.S. Senators and Representatives to advocate for T1D research funding. “Children’s Congress will always be one of my favorite things I’ve done,” she said. “I truly cherish the memories and impact it had on my life.”
Not only did the advocacy work make an impression on Berkeley, so did the people she met. Many of her fellow 2015 CC Delegates are now her lifelong friends. “It’s so much fun to watch everyone grow up and do amazing things in the T1D world,” she said.
Breakthrough T1D 2015 Children’s Congress was also a bonding experience for Berkeley and her dad—it’s a bond that continues to this day. “He’s my guy when it comes to advocacy,” she said. “I can’t imagine advocating up on the Hill without him!”
Discovering a New Path
Berkeley during her 2019 Breakthrough T1D internship
Berkeley was in her second year at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, still on the pre-med track, when she saw an opportunity on the Breakthrough T1D Advocacy website for an internship.
That experience changed the course of her life.
“I had always been passionate about advocacy and very interested in the government,” she said. “The internship made me realize that I could help people and make a difference, without being a doctor.”
The first person she shared the news with was her dad.
“I have a vivid memory of being surrounded by all the kids at Breakthrough T1D Children’s Congress in July 2019 and texting my dad: ‘Dad, I’m not going to medical school,’” she recalled. “His reply, of course, was ‘I know.’”
A Full Circle Moment
Berkeley working in Washington, D.C., today
After graduating from Rhodes College in 2020, Berkeley got a job in Washington, D.C. as a Staff Assistant for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). “It was a full circle moment,” she said.
Today, Berkeley works in Washington, D.C., at a public affairs consulting firm. Her advocacy work with Breakthrough T1D hasn’t stopped, though. This year, she joined Breakthrough T1D’s new Advocates in Action Council for young adults as co-chair of the leadership team.
An Exciting Year Ahead
Breakthrough T1D 2023 Children’s Congress will take place July 9-11, 2023—the first time it is being held since 2019 due to the pandemic. The excitement is building in Breakthrough T1D Advocacy, with an event schedule already packed with educational sessions, social events, and a Senate hearing.
“Children’s Congress is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for kids with T1D,” Purdy said. “Seeing the Delegates feel a sense of empowerment and learn to use their voices is just incredible.”
Breakthrough T1D 2023 Children’s Congress Delegates will focus on several advocacy initiatives:
- Creating significant support within Congress for a renewal of the Special Diabetes Program (SDP), which currently provides $150 million/year for T1D research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- Engaging the FDA to ensure regulatory policies provide optimized pathways for approval of T1D therapies and devices.
- Ensuring T1D screening and monitoring is more widely accepted in the U.S. healthcare system.
- Accelerating progress towards more affordable insulin.
Berkeley urges anyone looking to make a difference in the T1D world to apply for Breakthrough T1D 2023 Children’s Congress. “It helped shape me into who I am and inspired me to work towards making the world a better place…especially for people with T1D!”
Breakthrough T1D 2023 Children’s Congress® applications are open now through November 30 at cc.breakthrought1d.org.
Lauren Cox was 7 when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D). She was 12 when she finally beat her father in a game of one-on-one in the family driveway.
The Breakthrough T1D Ambassador and spokesperson said both moments shaped who she is and who she has become.
This weekend, she became the #3 pick in the first-round draft of the WNBA, selected to play for the Indiana Fever.
“To anyone watching the draft tonight, who sees some similarities between my story and their own: Know that I see you, back. And you’ve got this. We’ve got this,” Lauren wrote in an open letter that she shared the night of the draft.
Lauren said she refused to use her T1D as an excuse or as a reason for sympathy. Instead, she turned it into her own personal source of focus, strength, drive and determination.
“At seven years old, more or less overnight, I went from being this little kid without a care in the world to being a person with real responsibilities. And they weren’t the type of responsibilities that I could opt out of. You take a day off from treatment….. that’s not five minutes in the timeout corner or a stern talking-to or whatever. It’s life and death. You don’t have a choice — you have to do it. You have to show up.”
The Texas native played for Baylor University as a star forward, averaging 12.5 points a game her senior year.
She also has been an active Breakthrough T1D supporter, helping educate others about T1D, raising funds for T1D research and serving as a role model for children with the disease.
This summer, she served as a Celebrity Spokesperson at Breakthrough T1D’s Children’s Congress 2019 in Washington, DC. She urged the more than 160 youth delegates to take care of their bodies and to establish a support network so that others could help when needed. Sometimes it may seem easier to try and hide the fact that you have T1D, she said. But it’s part of who you are, and you need to realize that sometimes you may need help, so let others know.
Her willingness to use her story to help others won her, and her younger sister, Whitney, this year’s Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award, presented annually by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Whitney, who is a freshman forward at Lubbock Christian, was diagnosed with T1D when she was 17.
This fall, the sisters played against each other in Baylor’s annual Type-1 Diabetes Awareness Game, a Breakthrough T1D fundraiser.
“I think it’s been my refusal to give in to the temptation of excuse-making that’s really given me an edge,” Lauren wrote.
Lauren has captured the hearts and attention of many both on and off the court. We congratulate her success and thank her for her support of Breakthrough T1D and the T1D community.
More about Lauren:
Her full letter: For Anyone Who’s Been Through It.
Los Angeles Times article: Baylor star Lauren Cox hasn’t let diabetes stop her WNBA dreams
WNBA.com story: 2020 WNBA Draft Prospects: Five Things To Know About Lauren Cox
Video: Lauren Cox Selected No. 3 Overall By The Indiana Fever
Breakthrough T1D, the world’s largest funder of type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, is grateful to have recently received a generous $2.8 million-dollar gift from the estate of the late Marguerite Mae Rosner of Palm Beach, Fla.
The gift will help advance Breakthrough T1D’s efforts to create a world without T1D.
Inspired by a Special Relationship
Known as “Margie” to the many people who loved her, Mrs. Rosner was a long-time supporter of Breakthrough T1D. Her goddaughter, Juliet Baum, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2014. Juliet was 6 years old at the time.
“More than anyone, Margie loved Juliet,” said Jill Baum, Juliet’s mother. “They spent hours together in Margie’s closet trying on clothes. Juliet spent every visit practicing her model walk down Margie’s hallway.”
Marguerite Rosner and her goddaughter, Juliet Baum.
Juliet, now a vibrant 11-year-old, has followed her godmother’s footsteps of service and active citizenship. For several years, Juliet has been an ambassador for the Breakthrough T1D Palm Beach Chapter. In 2019, she was selected as one of 160 youth from across the nation to serve as a delegate at the Breakthrough T1D Children’s Congress.
The Epitome of Kindness
Mrs. Rosner, a nurse, and her husband, Dr. Edwin Rosner, dedicated their lives to helping others, as for 47 years, they worked side-by-side in their medical practice.
Dr. Rosner passed away in 1990. Fifteen years later, Mrs. Rosner met Walter Baum, who would become her partner until his passing in 2016.
Juliet was Mr. Baum’s granddaughter. Due to health concerns, Mrs. Rosner hadn’t been able to have children of her own. Mrs. Rosner viewed Juliet’s parents—her mother Jill, and her father, Perry, who was Walter’s son—as her children. She thought of Juliet as her grandchild.
Mrs. Rosner passed away in July 2018 at the age of 97.
“Margie was the epitome of kindness, class and generosity,” added Jill. “She was funny, creative, intelligent and sharp as a tack until the end.”
On February 8, 2020, Juliet and Jill attended the Breakthrough T1D Palm Beach Chapter’s Breakthrough T1D Gem of an Evening Gala: Carnival in Venice, where the gift was announced.
“We take great pride as a family in presenting this donation to Breakthrough T1D,” said Jill. “We can think of no better legacy to leave than helping to advance care and possibly finding a cure for type 1 diabetes.”
